This Protest Won't Go Away

BEIRUT - Lebanon is caught in political gridlock in the face of sustained opposition
to the U.S.-backed government.

The government is refusing to give in to opposition demands for more representation.
The government says it is there to stay; so do the protestors.

Their opposition is very visible. Scores of tents, many with solar-powered
television sets, wooden walls and doors, and cooking facilities fill several
huge parking lots at the foot of the heavily barricaded headquarters of Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora's government.

The site is mostly quiet during the day, but in the evening thousands stream
into the camps to listen to speeches, drink coffee and tea, smoke hubble-bubble
pipes, and talk. And, in the Riad es-Solh Square, they watch the huge movie-sized
screen of Al-Manar television news (Hezbollah's TV station).

"We're here demanding full participation of all different groups in the
political decision-making of our country," a 27-year-old organizer at the
site who gave his name only as Jirgus told IPS.

The protest is already bringing results, he said. "One of the advantages
of this sit-in is that people from the north are meeting people from the south,
and different religions are uniting."

Like everyone else IPS spoke with at the sit-in, Jirgus said he would continue
with the protest as long as it took.

"As long as this government continues with their pro-U.S. and pro-Israel
policies, and continues to choose not to allow all people fair representation,
we are left with only this choice," he said.

Four big political parties participated in a huge protest rally Dec. 10 last
year, probably Lebanon's largest ever. That demonstration was immediately followed
by the launch of the sit-in.

The four parties are Hezbollah led by the charismatic Hassan Nasrallah, the
Free Patriotic movement led by former general Michel Aoun who is a Christian,
the Amal movement led by Nabih Berri and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

Several smaller parties of various religious confessions are also participating
in the ongoing protest.

The opposition insists that the cabinet must resign in favor of a national
unity government. Siniora's cabinet continues to refuse this demand. The government
is in survival mode, but continues to have the backing of the United States,
France and Saudi Arabia.

Many protestors are raising basic issues that go beyond party loyalties.

"Our goal is companionship while the government's goal is to serve corporate
interests," a primary school teacher who gave his name as Marada told IPS.
"We have two million of Lebanon's four million people that are not represented
by these elitists, who only care about their own interests. I'll stay here as
long as it takes. The government didn't leave us with anything, so we have nothing
to lose."

Opposition supporters say that both disparity of wealth and unequal representation
in government are critical problems, that are feeding the protests.

"We are peacefully contesting the government to show that people without
a voice are actually the majority," Ali Hamir, a 55-year-old translator
at the sit-in told IPS. "It is only rich people who have a voice in this
current government, while the middle and lower classes are not listened to.
There is a class mentality in this government."

He added, "We are open-minded and want to live with all communities, but
we are opposed to class-based oppression."

Hamir said he will not end the sit-in until the opposition wins. "Our
breaths will last long. We will not stop until we reach our goal. We do not
despair."

Others are happy at the unification amongst the different parties.

"It's new for us to be together with all of these other groups,"
a student from the Free Patriotic Movement who gave his name as Aran told IPS.
"It is good because Muslims, Christians and all of the confessions are
here together. We hope this experience will be diffused throughout society."

Streets lined with concrete barriers and two levels of barbed wire separate
the camp from government buildings. Lebanese soldiers keep watch over the protestors.
But the protesters seem to ignore them; there is more of a party atmosphere
within the camp.

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Dahr Jamail writes about the
effects of the US occupation on the people of Iraq, since the mainstream
media in the US has in large part, he believes, failed to do so.

Dahr has spent a total of 5 months in occupied Iraq, and plans
on returning in October to continue reporting on the occupation.
One of only a few independent reporters in Iraq, Dahr will be using
the DahrJamailIraq.com
website and mailing list to disseminate his dispatches and will
continue as special correspondent for Flashpoints Radio.

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